The cleaning campaign organized by the Biosphere Reserve ended with the collection of thousands of cigarette butts. Now, environmental artist Álvaro Guzmán has created a sculpture that denounces their dumping in public spaces of the Archipelago.
The piece, which represents a vine, has been installed this Thursday in the area where these residues were extracted, and will remain for two months in a municipal flowerbed in front of the new shopping center. The objective is to remind citizens of the seriousness of this behavior, which is widely normalized.
According to the Councilor of the Biosphere Reserve of Lanzarote, Samuel Martín, who witnessed the placement of the sculpture together with the Councilor of Cleaning of Arrecife, Jacobo Lemes, "cigarette butts are a very polluting waste, which damages the soil and reaches the coast, with very harmful effects on terrestrial and marine ecosystems."
From the cleaning action carried out last November, a video was also produced for dissemination on social networks, in order to raise awareness among smokers to dispose of this toxic material in ashtrays, bins, containers or keep them until they get home.
Throughout the day, numerous people have stopped to observe the work of the artist Álvaro Guzmán, which is accompanied by an informative plaque in which you can read the slogan of the campaign You reap what you sow, along with the details of the construction of the "cigarette vine" in Spanish and English.